Diagnosed Type 2 last July. Initial blood glucose: 438.
Questionable liver stats meant I had to take glipizide. I also cut the carbs way back and started exercising again.
It was during a run around one of the city lakes that I found out what a blood sugar crash feels like. (Oh, I had hard candies in my truck–but that was on the other side of the lake.) It was shocking how quickly it comes on. I went from a nice, leisurely jog to Oh shit! I think I’m going to keel over! I weakly staggered from bench to rock to bench to wall, etc., and made it back the last mile around the lake.
It only happened once since then. I was doing the laundry, and I almost dropped the laundry basket when I got all weak and shaky and my arms went on strike. Half a bottle of Pepsi and all was right with the world again.
Anyhoo–I dropped 30 pounds, my blood sugar stays right around 90 - 100, and what’s more, my sleep apnea went away. And I don’t snore anymore. At least that’s what I’m told.
It’s winter here, and I can feel the pounds creeping back on. I hate treadmills, and don’t like fitness clubs, but I guess I’ll have to do something again pretty soon.
Man, I thought it was just me. I am/was actually being concerned that it was an enlarged prostate. (Yes, I do watch a lot of TV and see all the BPH commercials). It almost seems like I’ve become incontinent. When I gotta go, I GOTTA GO!!! To make matters worse, my work building is triangle shaped, and I am at the apex of the angle while the men’s room is midpoint of the opposite leg of the triangle. Gotta walk the max distance to do my thing. And walk fast…before…something…happens. :eek:
I developed this as well. The GP didn’t have a clue about it, and sent me to an internist. The internist didn’t have a clue and sent me to an orthopedist. The orthopedist didn’t have a clue and just said “well, get some special shoes and orthotics and stay off your feet. Take 2000 mg Motrin every day :eek: and do your best.” The shoes and orthotics cost me $200 and don’t help. Much.
Oh, yeah, that was the name of the drug I couldn’t handle. Glipizide.
I feel that in my heart of hearts that exercise would help me greatly. Even now, at 42 yo, I want to get back into working out like I used to when I was in the army. I hate feeling like the fat slug I have become. But the feet thing isn’t helping. I swear, I try to do all my walking at work before 10 AM, because after that, I feel like my feet are made of solid glass and every step makes fractures and sends splinters into my foot muscles.
I hate vicious cycles. I need to work out, but can’t stand on my feet. I can’t stand on my feet because I have diabetes. Working out would reduce the symptoms of diabetes, like the sore feet. I can’t work out because my feet are sore…
Rinse and repeat.
BTW: if weight loss is a side effect of diabetes, I would welcome that one. I am pretty well overweight, and want to start working out again to lose weight. But see above…
That first Sugar-crash, It was about 45 days after I’d been diagnosed. I was at work in north Mississippi and it had been a busy night so I “forgot” to eat. I left the Unit to get a sample (I’m an oilfield Geologist) and I made it about 30 yards before I became disoriented and completely “ran out of steam”, I decided that a little nap in the mudhole I was standing in was just the ticket so I laid down and that’s where they found me a few minutes later. A few bites of a Subway sammich, some water and 20 minutes later I was back to “normal”. Now I know what the warning signs feel like!
Don’t count on the weight loss. I never had weight loss at any time, and some of the meds I’ve been on actually increase the appetite.
As far as initial symptoms are concerned: Diabetes affects every part of your body, so it could be any number of things. With me, it was my eyes. I awoke one morning with a weird distortion in the lower peripheral vision of my right eye, sort of a strobing effect. I immediately saw my ophthalmologist, who examined me, then asked, “When was the last time you had a complete physical?” My mother, who was diabetic, understood what this meant, and got me an appointment with her endocrinologist. He made the diagnosis easily.
For you Type 1s and anyone else on Insulin, are you seeing any weight gain with the Insulin?
I’ve been reading a lot of doom & gloom about massive weight gains with insulin. Of the two type 1s I know personally, one is skinny as a rail, has incredibly good blood glucose control, and eats fairly unhealthily. The other is overweight by maybe 50 pounds, eats really unhealthy, and has crappy blood sugar control. So my own focus group doesn’t tell me much
This thread is fascinating! I am not diabetic but my boyfriend has Type I diabetes so I am trying to learn more about the disease and what it means to be diabetic. Last night we had a discussion about what I need to do if he goes low and starts having a seizure, which is a frightening thought but it is important information to have in an emergency.
One symptom I haven’t seen anyone mention is quick fatigue. In the six months or so before I was diagnosed, when my blood sugar levels were probably highest, I got tired incredibly quickly; I’d fall asleep as soon as I got home from work and need long afternoon naps on Saturdays and Sundays just to get through.
I assume you make sure to always have sweets around. Also remember that when a person’s blood sugar is high or low, he can become altered (that is, mentally) which can make it difficult for the person to recognize what is happening. Also, a person who goes low frequently will experience a lessening of sensitivity to it, and so will have difficulty realizing what is going on. When I was first diagnosed, my right thigh would always go pins & needles if my blood sugar was below 80 or so; that no longer happens.
Yep, we always have sweets with us at all times. He also has a special product, gluco-something-or-other, that is designed to be an immediate boost of sugar that can be put in the mouth of someone having a diabetic seizure and not choke them. I’m trying to learn as much as I can so I can make sure that I will know what to do in an emergency situation and get over my squicky fear of needles in case I ever need to administer insulin for some reason.
I’m with you on the needle thing. Lots of people can’t stand spiders or snakes or whatever. My personal thing is needles. I’ve had thoughts of needles keep me awake at night, and I don’t even like handling sewing needles or pins.
That said, I was a wuss for 2 days with the Insulin and made my husband do it while I looked away and thought of England.
On the third day I decided I either had to start building a monument to Hating Insulin or just buck up and do it. I’ve done it every night since, and now, 2 weeks later, it’s not a big deal at all.
I’d see if your boyfriend would let you administer his Insulin to him a few time, to give you a feel for what it’s like. It’d be much worse to have to figure it all out in an emergency situation I think.
I was diagnosed with type II by my family doctor. I had no idea as I did not have the peeing problem. I felt no different from the day, even the week or year before. I have no history of diabetes in my family. He said I might be borderline. I’ve since learned that borderline means nothing.
I was 65 when I was diagnosed which was about 5+ years ago. I take 2k metformin a day and just this week will begin taking Januvia in addition to the metformin. The reason for his is my a1c spiked from 6.9 last time to 7.3. I eat pretty normally, though being older I eat a lot less then when I was first diagnosed. I exercise little, but because I work full time I have to walk, so that’s pretty much it. This was all new to me when I was diagnosed. Luckily my strips and lancets are free, and I test 3 times a day, sometimes four: Early morning before breakfast, mid morning 930-1030, and late at night (before bed). The extra one I sometimes throw in one early in the evening 5-6pm before dinner.
My testing runs the gamut from 300 to 100; 300 scares me but I can usually remember something like not taking the meds, a beer I drank and forgot about, etc. If you drink plenty of water and test again in an hour usually it will return to normal. The lowest I ever tested was 59, but I’m still convinced it was an error in the meter. My usual levels are 105-165. My overnight (early morning) usually runs high.
I don’t like diabetes, but I can live with it. I am 71 now and still enjoying life, still working 5 days 40 hours a week, and still have some home life. I think I am lucky that my meds cost minimal amount. I spend about 130.00 per quarter on meds. The testing equipment being free is a big help. I have other meds, such as 2 blood pressure meds, baby aspirins and eye vitamins (Ocuvite). I had eye surgery two years ago to remove a cataract, and now only need glasses for reading. I had worn glasses since I was 3 previously.
My wife’s Type I as well, so I also always read these things with interest, to see if there’s anything I can pass on to her (hello… Glycemic Index? Huh.)
We have had several discussions on what to do when her blood sugar drops, and it can definitely get pretty scary. One thing I’ve found that helps - treat them like a 2 year old. “I want you to eat this glucose tablet. Hey. Pay attention to me, please. Eat this. Good. Keep eating. Hey. Eat your glucose tablet.” It can be as scary as fuck, but just make sure you keep talking to them and working with them. Know too, when to call 911. I’m pretty sure I’ve posted before about how I spent my wedding night with my new wife on a gurney in the Emergency Room.
Glucagon? We’ve got a couple of those sitting around, but it’s not a by-mouth thing, it’s an injection that breaks down her liver for fast glucose.
I came back to post this. Also, I don’t bother with the expensive, made-for-diabetic candies any more, as all the ones I can find actually taste good. This is stupid, as the point is to be helpful in an emergency but but not tempting otherwise. Instead I keep jelly beans, as I hate most flavors. (Mrs. Rhymer has standing instructions to take all the yellow ones, which, happily, she likes.)
Hmmm, I was specifically told that this stuff is to be taken orally. It is like a gel which I don’t think would do well in an injection situation. He said, “Honestly the aftertaste is so bad that sometimes you wish you would have just let yourself die but in an emergency situation that is what I would need.”
I would give him an injection a time or two, Athena, but he is on a pump so he rarely needs a separate injection. I might see if he would be okay with me giving him an injection at some point just in case it is ever necessary but the thought makes me want to hide under my desk and not come out so I don’t think I am ready for that yet.
When my son still lived at home (type 1 diabetic, was 12 when he was diagnosed) we kept icing in a tube on hand. That’s easy to slip between clenched teeth, it dissolves easily and he wouldn’t choke on it.
Regarding weight, he is exceptionally fit but he is also a professional ballroom teacher and competes regularly. So his fitness plays a huge role in his control. He was pretty brittle in his teens but he was also terrible about testing his blood and went by how he felt. Since he liked to keep his readings super low, it was really easy for him to crash. At one point I thought I would end up having the paramedics over for Thanksgiving or something, they were beginning to feel like family – and their help was essential when he registered zero on his meter.
Do it now. Well, not this very second, but do it BEFORE you HAVE to do it. When you’re panicking because your boyfriend has fallen unconscious is not the time to learn how to do it; and knowing how to do it will reduce your panic if that ever occurs. Some other time I’ll post how a girl’s knowing how to deal with my diabetes may have saved my life.
Yeah, we use the chalky made for diabetics glucose tablets. For us, they work faster than regular candies. And nobody steals them for quick snacks, either!
Seconded. It’s not as bad as one would think, to be honest. I still can’t watch my wife inject herself, but I’ve got no problem doing it myself.
Not personally diabetic but my husband is Type 1, diagnosed when he was 8 years old…My step father, grandfather, and aunt are all Type 2.
Couple of thoughts/observations… The glycemic index is great for determining how quickly your sugar will spike (from my understanding), however practically speaking a carb is a a carb is a carb. If you’re not producing your own insulin (or are resistant to it, any carb will make your sugars go up and it doesn’t really matter what index they are; whole grains will take longer simply because they take a little longer to digest.
There are a couple of types of emergency sugar sources. My grandfather has sugar tablets, my husband has the shots (mix sugar with fluid, inject) and I’ve injected my husband, in emergencies, twice. Generally, if he is so far down he needs a shot its because he’s too messed up to swallow juice or something on his own.
My husband isn’t overweight, and is insulin dependent (the insulin does not appear to have made him gain any weight)… All my other relatives and step relatives have weight problems, and did before they were diabetic…
I can answer questions based on what the Hubbie’s told me and from an SO perspective, if any ones interested.
I’m not sure how the “emergency” needles work, but I can tell you, the insulin pen I use has a really short needle. It more or less goes right under your skin, it’s not a real injection. Somehow, it makes it easier to deal with when I think “I’m putting this right under my skin” instead of “I’m sticking this in a vein.”
To tell you how much I hate needles, that last sentence was difficult for me to type. Very difficult. So difficult that I want to say something more on that subject but I can’t bring myself to type it.
<sigh> I’m a major foodie who hates needles. Why’d I have to get THIS disease?!?
